M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The Inscribed Stones and Altar on Mount Ebal
27 Then Moses and the elders of Israel charged all the people as follows: “Keep the entire commandment that I am commanding you today. 2 On the day that you cross over the Jordan into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and cover them with plaster.(A) 3 You shall write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over, to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised you.(B) 4 So when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones about which I am commanding you today on Mount Ebal, and you shall cover them with plaster. 5 And you shall build an altar there to the Lord your God, an altar of stones on which you have not used an iron tool.(C) 6 You must build the altar of the Lord your God of unhewn[a] stones. Then offer up burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God; 7 make sacrifices of well-being, and eat them there, rejoicing before the Lord your God. 8 You shall write on the stones all the words of this law very clearly.”
9 Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel! This very day you have become the people of the Lord your God.(D) 10 Therefore obey the Lord your God, observing his commandments and his statutes that I am commanding you today.”
Twelve Curses
11 The same day Moses charged the people as follows: 12 “When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.(E) 13 And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 Then the Levites shall declare in a loud voice to all the Israelites,
15 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who makes an idol or casts an image, anything abhorrent to the Lord, the work of an artisan, and sets it up in secret.’ All the people shall respond, saying, ‘Amen!’(F)
16 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors father or mother.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(G)
17 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who moves a neighbor’s boundary marker.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(H)
18 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind person on the road.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(I)
19 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who deprives an alien, an orphan, or a widow of justice.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(J)
20 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his father’s wife, because he has violated his father’s rights.’[b] All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(K)
21 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who lies with any animal.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(L)
22 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his sister, whether the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(M)
23 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who lies with his mother-in-law.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(N)
24 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who strikes down a neighbor in secret.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(O)
25 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who takes a bribe to shed innocent blood.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(P)
26 “ ‘Cursed be anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by observing them.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen!’(Q)
Blessings for Obedience
28 “If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth;(R) 2 all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the Lord your God:
3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field.(S)
4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, and the fruit of your livestock, both the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock.(T)
5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.(U) 8 The Lord will command the blessing upon you in your barns and in all that you undertake; he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 9 The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways.(V) 10 All the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.(W) 11 The Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb, in the fruit of your livestock, and in the fruit of your ground in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give you.(X) 12 The Lord will open for you his rich storehouse, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season and to bless all your undertakings. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.(Y) 13 The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be only at the top and not at the bottom—if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today by diligently observing them, 14 and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I am commanding you today, either to the right or to the left, following other gods to serve them.(Z)
Warnings against Disobedience
15 “But if you will not obey the Lord your God by diligently observing all his commandments and decrees that I am commanding you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you:(AA)
16 “Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field.
17 “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
18 “Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb, the fruit of your ground, the increase of your cattle and the issue of your flock.
19 “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out.
Psalm 119
The Glories of God’s Law
1 Happy are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.(A)
2 Happy are those who keep his decrees,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong
but walk in his ways.(B)
4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 O that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.(C)
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous ordinances.(D)
8 I will observe your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me.
9 How can young people keep their way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.(E)
10 With my whole heart I seek you;
do not let me stray from your commandments.(F)
11 I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I may not sin against you.(G)
12 Blessed are you, O Lord;
teach me your statutes.(H)
13 With my lips I declare
all the ordinances of your mouth.(I)
14 I delight in the way of your decrees
as much as in all riches.
15 I will meditate on your precepts
and fix my eyes on your ways.(J)
16 I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.(K)
17 Deal bountifully with your servant,
so that I may live and observe your word.(L)
18 Open my eyes, so that I may behold
wondrous things out of your law.
19 I live as an alien in the land;
do not hide your commandments from me.(M)
20 My soul is consumed with longing
for your ordinances at all times.(N)
21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones,
who wander from your commandments;(O)
22 take away from me their scorn and contempt,
for I have kept your decrees.(P)
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me,
your servant will meditate on your statutes.(Q)
24 Your decrees are my delight;
they are my counselors.(R)
The Eternal Covenant of Peace
54 Shout for joy, O barren one who has borne no children;
burst into song and shout,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate woman will be more
than the children of the one who is married, says the Lord.(A)
2 Enlarge the site of your tent,
and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out;
do not hold back; lengthen your cords
and strengthen your stakes.(B)
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left,
and your descendants will possess nations
and will settle desolate towns.(C)
4 Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;
do not be discouraged, for you will not suffer disgrace,
for you will forget the shame of your youth,
and the disgrace of your widowhood you will remember no more.(D)
5 For your Maker is your husband;
the Lord of hosts is his name;
the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
the God of the whole earth he is called.(E)
6 For the Lord has called you
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
like the wife of a man’s youth when she is cast off,
says your God.(F)
7 For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.(G)
8 In overflowing wrath for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,
says the Lord, your Redeemer.(H)
9 This is like the days of Noah to me:
Just as I swore that the waters of Noah
would never again go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
and will not rebuke you.(I)
10 For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.(J)
11 O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted,
I am about to set your stones in antimony
and lay your foundations with sapphires.[a](K)
12 I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
your gates of jewels,
and all your wall of precious stones.
13 All your children shall be taught by the Lord,
and great shall be the prosperity of your children.(L)
14 In righteousness you shall be established;
you shall be far from oppression; indeed, you shall not fear;
and from terror; indeed, it shall not come near you.(M)
15 If anyone stirs up strife,
it is not from me;
whoever stirs up strife with you
shall fall because of you.(N)
16 See, it is I who have created the smith
who blows the fire of coals
and produces a weapon fit for its purpose;
I have also created the ravager to destroy.
17 No weapon that is fashioned against you shall prosper,
and you shall confute every tongue that rises against you in judgment.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord
and their vindication from me, says the Lord.(O)
The Visit of the Magi
2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem,(A) 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east[b] and have come to pay him homage.”(B) 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:(C)
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’ ”(D)
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.(E) 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.(F)
The Escape to Egypt
13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”(G) 14 Then Joseph[h] got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt(H) 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
The Massacre of the Infants
16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi,[i] he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi.[j] 17 Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”(I)
The Return from Egypt
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 21 Then Joseph[k] got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.(J) 23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazarene.”[l](K)
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.